The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of hardy garden pink or carnation that is grown for use as a flowering plant for pots and containers and for planting in the garden and landscape. The new cultivar is known botanically as Dianthus×hybrida and will be referred to hereinafter by the cultivar name ‘WP10 VEN06’.
‘WP10 VEN06’ is a complex hybrid plant that is the product of a breeding program started by the inventor in 1985. The breeding program is conducted in a cultivated area of Houndspool, Dawlish, Devon, United Kingdom. The inventor selected ‘WP10 VEN06’ in 2004 for its fragrant flowers which are double and white in color.
‘WP10 VEN06’ resulted from the controlled pollination between two unreleased and unpatented selections of Dianthus from the inventor's breeding program, namely Selection ‘Noelle’ (unpatented and unreleased) as male parent and Selection ‘ASH2’ (unpatented and unreleased) as female parent.
‘WP10 VEN06’ is distinguishable from both parents by flower color. Whereas the flowers of ‘WP10 VEN06’ are double and white in color, the flowers of the male parent are double and carmine in color and the flowers of the female parent are semi-double and carmine in color.
The variety of Dianthus which is considered by the inventor to most closely resemble ‘WP10 VEN06’ is the inventor's variety Dianthus ‘Arctic Star’ (unpatented). The flowers of ‘Arctic Star’ are similarly double and white in color. However, the foliage of ‘Arctic Star’ is less glaucous than the foliage of ‘WP10 VEN06’. In addition, ‘Arctic Star’ has been found to be less hardy than other Dianthus varieties from the inventor's breeding program including ‘WP10 VEN06’.
Asexual reproduction of ‘WP10 VEN06’ was first accomplished by the inventor in 2004 in a cultivated area of Houndspool, United Kingdom. The method of asexual propagation used was vegetative cuttings. The inventor has determined that ‘WP10 VEN06’ is stable and reproduces true to type in successive generations of asexual propagation.